by Dan | Oct 26, 2026 | Etc.
Sarah thanked me three times Sunday morning. All I had done was help make brunch…breakfast burritos. But I suspect those thank-yous were about more than breakfast.
We were going to be leaving shortly thereafter to go to Sarah’s retirement party. I could tell she was nervous about it. She has been done seeing patients now since the first part of October. This celebration party was her final stage…the closure of her career.
For years, Sarah and I were accustomed to being the ones taking care of everybody else. We were both Family Physicians. We raised our children. We managed demanding schedules. We supported each other through difficult days. Now, in retirement, we are discovering another way of taking care of each other. And sometimes it means something as ordinary as helping make brunch when your wife is nervous about a big day. Love doesn’t always announce itself through grand gestures. Sometimes it looks like breakfast. She got to celebrate Sunday with Dr. Larson and Dr. Crismon, as they all retired on the same day.
Saturday was also a great day…my 62nd Birthday. The kids/grandkids were all coming home for Sarah’s retirement, but I got to have them all home for my birthday too! We went out to eat to celebrate both my birthday, and her retirement, Saturday night.
There were lots of laughs, pictures taken, memories made with everybody home…almost everybody. Dan was getting the last of his crop in. He really wanted to be there, but when you are a farmer, you do what you have to, when you are able to, and when the weather cooperates. That is just how it is. Sarah and I both had times when we missed events because of being on call. We get it. He was in our thoughts. We kept asking how things were going this last week. The rain held out for him, and he got the crop in! We will celebrate again when he is able to be there too! The grandkids easily stole the show for the weekend!
After the retirement party was done, and we were leaving, I asked Sarah what she thought of the day. She said it was “good”! She was “relieved”. I think this closed a chapter for her…
Sarah said it was a good day.
She was relieved when it was over.
I think I understand.
For more than 3 decades, medicine was such a big part of our lives. We wouldn’t trade those years for anything. But every chapter eventually comes to an end.
This weekend, surrounded by family and friends, we celebrated the closing of that chapter.
And as I looked around at our children, our grandchildren, and Sarah, I couldn’t help but think about how fortunate we are.
We have so much to look back on.
And hopefully, so much more to look forward to.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 971
by Dan | Oct 18, 2026 | Etc.
For more than 30 years, Sarah and I lived by schedules. Patients to see. Charts to complete. Questions/labs/radiology reports to review (even when we were on vacation.) Children to raise. Races to run. Responsibilities everywhere.
And now, when we spent our week out in the Hills, we experienced something we haven’t had much of during our married life. Absolutely no where we had to be…and nobody telling us where we needed to be. When we got up in the morning we could decide if we were going to hike, and where. Or do we go biking? Or just go take pictures? Or relax yet in the morning with some coffee and breakfast. No appointments. No schedules. No deadlines.
The first few days out there were more structured. We ran the Crazy Horse Half Marathon, and our friends Tom and Sue Beaudry were there. Tom and I helped each other finish the Half. They were there another couple days following this, and we got to spend some time exploring and hiking with them…and their dog Charlie. What a blast!
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But then…it was just the two of us! And something happened. We discovered the freedom of having no agenda. No other races or scheduled events. We both commented on this several times. “What are we going to do today?” “I don’t know. What do you want to do?” “Whatever we want!”
We tested out our new bike helmet. They were connected to WiFi, so we could just talk and we could hear each other without having to scream out what we were saying. That is the coolest thing!!
My word for the year again is “Adapt”. I am now discovering that adapt does not always have to mean dealing with something difficult. Sometimes adapting means learning how to enjoy freedom you’ve never really had before. Don’t get me wrong. We had a blast with our friends out there, and could’ve even done the whole week that way. But, the last 4 days we had. Just the two of us. And that is when we discovered something different. We could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and do whatever we wanted. And the best part then? We got to do it together! We’ve crossed a lot of finish lines over the years. But perhaps this is one of the starting lines we’ve been looking forward to the most. We got to find out about it sooner than I thought we would.
This trip is exactly what we have been training for. Not the Half Marathon itself. Everything that came afterward. Time with friends. Hikes. Bikes. The exploring. And then…time with Sarah. And the wonderful realization that we didn’t have to hurry back for anything (other than to rescue our daughter Megan who was watching our dog Dakota!) This is why we keep moving…so we can keep moving later.
So, as I always say…Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 963
by Dan | Oct 10, 2026 | Etc.
Sending out another reminder as the day is approaching fast!
Mark your calendars! It is time to celebrate the retirement of 3 Physicians. Dr. Sarah Reiffenberger; Dr. Greg Larson; Dr. Craig Crismon! It will be set for Sunday October 25, 2026, from 1-3 PM at the Watertown Event Center. They would all love to see you there. When we physicians retire, the hardest part is giving up our patients. And…we want to make sure our patients are going to be taken care of. They would appreciate seeing their patients show up and wish them well! The 3 of them combined have almost 100 years of service to their patients, and the Watertown Community! Help us celebrate with them! Show up for some cake, treats, and conversation! Help spread the word! See you then!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 956
by Dan | Oct 4, 2026 | Etc.
After more than 3 decades of practicing medicine as a Family Physician in Watertown, it is now Sarah’s turn to retire…officially! She finished up at the end of this week. I have been waiting since March to have her join me. I have figured out “some” of this retirement gig, but I am so excited for her to be done. For all of these years we have been taking care of patients, and now we get to take care of each other. How does somebody go celebrate retirement? We go run the Crazy Horse Half Marathon! Is that “Crazy” or what??? What could possibly go wrong, right?
I loved the balloons she got at clinic–“Congratulations…quitter!” What can we say? Yep! And proud of it! Time to start doing some traveling. Spending time as grandparents…and parents. Time to do “whatever, whenever, and however” we want too! We don’t know exactly what this “next road” will really entail, but we are ready to do this thing together! Bring it on!!
There was a celebration for her on Friday, along with Dr. Crismon, and Dr. Greg Larson, as they are all retiring at the same time.
They were sporting their “Quitter” shirts…all with a picture of them when they were younger in practice. Looking back at all of this, all I can say is “Wow!”… How time flies!
I am ready for this next adventure Sarah. Let’s do this retirement right!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 949
by Dan | Sep 20, 2026 | Etc.
After Mom’s funeral Tuesday, somebody said we needed to get a picture of all of the siblings together. We are in order…looking at the picture, the left side is the youngest, and going to the oldest on the right. My sister was truly sandwiched in the middle…3 boys first, then her, then 3 more boys. We’ve taken plenty of family pictures over the years. But this one felt different…Memories came to a head! Growing up together. Mom and Dad. The things you got in trouble for. Holidays. Who you’ve each become. How rarely everyone is in one place anymore. And now the strange realization that you are the generation at the top of the family tree.
Dad has been gone now for 12 years. Mom is now missing from this picture…but she’s also the reason the picture exists. We gathered this week because we lost Mom. But as I looked around, I realized I was also looking at what Mom and Dad had given us. A family. Not a perfect family. No family is. But ours. We have already made plans for my siblings to get together with each other every year.
For the first time, neither Mom nor Dad was standing with us for the family picture. And yet somehow, they were all over it…
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 935
